Bríd Smith: North Surpasses South on Abortion Access

Bríd Smith spoke in the Dáil on 13 June 2023 about women's reproductive rights and north-south healthcare cooperation, arguing the north has progressed further on abortion access than the south and calling for corrective action. She referenced the repeal referendum, a review by Dr Mary O'Shea highlighting gaps in legislation, and cross-border patient care examples.

Welcome and context

Bríd Smith opened by welcoming colleagues from South Africa and framed the speech around the island's partition and its impact on women's rights and health care. She recalled the repeal referendum celebrations and noted a banner that declared "the north is next," then observed that five years later the north has advanced further on abortion access than the south.

Legislative concerns and review

She cited the recent review by Dr Mary O'Shea, saying it reveals "gaping holes" in legislation for women's reproductive health. Smith argued those gaps leave much to be corrected in this state and pressed for attention to the legislative deficiencies identified in the review.

North-south healthcare cooperation examples

Smith highlighted existing cross-border cooperation in health care as evidence of shared lived experience on the island. She pointed to children from the north receiving heart surgery at Crumlin and patients from Donegal travelling to Alton-Nagelvin for cancer treatment and treatment of heart attacks.

Jurisdictional differences and decision-making

She noted that abortion laws differ because the jurisdictions are separate: the Oireachtas decides here, Stormont decides in Northern Ireland when it is working, and when it is not, decisions are made in London. Smith used this to underline the complexity of achieving consistent access to reproductive health services across the island.

Questions for the minister

Smith directly asked the minister to comment on the need for a "real shared island" approach to people's lived lives and access to health care, particularly regarding women's health and reproductive services. Her remarks called for corrective measures to address the disparities she described.